Everyone knows American workers are aging, but farmers are older
than workers in almost any other occupation. According to the Labor Department,
the median age for farmers and ranchers is 55.9 years
It’s not just that farmers are among America’s oldest
workers – their average age also has been growing rapidly for about 30 years,
according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Census of Agriculture, which
in 2012 released new data. This census, which is published every five years,
shows that during the last 30 years, the average age of U.S. farmers has grown
by nearly eight years, from 50.5 years to 58.3 years.
It’s important to remember that this figure includes only
principal operators, meaning any large farms that have one farmer at the helm
but other, younger farmers helping out will only have that one farmer. So in
truth it is a looks a little worse thin it is. And this was taken in 2012 so
you have to add 5 years to it. Making the average age 63.3 year old this means
in the next
One thing that might keep some young people out of farming
could be the barriers to entry – land prices skyrocketed in recent years, and
some equipment, like tractors and combines, can cost hundreds of thousands of
dollars. But you do not need these things to be a farmer it is only the common perception
that you do that is keeping people out of becoming farmers.
Being counted in the census does not require heavy
investment – an operation need only have the potential to produce $1,000 worth
of agricultural goods in a year to count as a “farm.”
This is why even though Manabu farms only use’s homes in the
city with just back and front lawns that we can say we have 21 farm lots in 4
states, because any property if used right will have the potential to produce way
over $1,000 worth of agricultural goods in a year. (On a side note here any law
that is passed about framing that you hear the media saying will not affect
your garden at home will if you have used your land correctly.)
As of the 2007 census of agriculture, there were 2.2 million
farmers
In 2012, the United States had 2.1 million farmers
And it just keeps getting less and less each year
Historically, most Americans have left the workforce some
time before age 65. Indeed, SmartAsset's analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data
found that the national average retirement age is 63 years old. At the state
level, it ranges from 62 to 65.
Know these facts
means that this year and every year after this we are going to have more and
more people on this planet and less and less farmers.
Why is this? Well I believe the largest factor is the perception
of farming. Let’s face it kids do not want to be farmers in this day and age
when we can all be anything we want. When, if you want to learn a new skill it
is just a YouTube search away. Kids these days want to be something cool and
can learn how to easily. Back in the day if you wanted to be a musician you
needed to find and hire someone to teach you. So many kids then where okay not
always happy about it but okay with following in their families footsteps and
keep the farm going.
If we want to safe farming we need to look for ways to make
farming cool again and to do that we first need to have a definition of two
things. What is cool? And what is a farm?
Cool
Finding a definition of cool, neat, or exciting is hard to
do as what is “cool” for one person is not always “cool” for another and even
in one’s own life time what is cool
changes how many of us look back at our old stile 10 or 15 years ago and say OMG
what was I thinking back then. Cool also has gender lines just look at movies
and the terms chick flick or guy movie. So how do you define something that changes
with time and by each person? Well we look for concepts that have stood the
test of time and have a larger age group. Things that have always been at least
kind of cool in one way or another.
Farm
Well as we said earlier the difference between a farm and a
home garden is the potential to produce a $1,000 worth of agricultural goods in
a year. So there for a farm is not determined by size
of land or location and any home can become a farm. Manabu farms lot #6 started
in a upstairs apartment with no yard at all. By selling Micro-Greens that can be grown in
almost any space and selling at the farmers market made more than $1000 a year
before it used its profits to buy a home that had land to farm on. Any home no
matter how small can be a farm!
So what has worked for me?
Well as for the Cool the way I chose to go about it was
this.
for a long time now Americans have idolized The “outlaw” wither it be the dime novels of the old west or
more modern things like Sons Of Anarchy, or oceans 11 and so forth, we as
Americans like to think of outlaws being more like Robin Hood, Then hardened
killer’s. With more and more city’s making laws that take away your right’s to
grow food the way you want in the city, they are making urban farming into
outlaw farming. And I say we embrace it! We at Manabu Farms call ourselves a
outlaw farm club and have helped a lot of youth avoid gangs and still find that
family they are looking for if people that will stand by their side. We did
this by setting up a clear set of by laws for are farm club.
This allowed us to join together with our community members
and stand up for what we believed in and that was good food grown locale.
Over the years the club has grown and now does a lot more than
just grow food, we now also produce more than our own power needs. We harvest
and create out of the air most of our own water needs in some places more then
we need. And have been empowering our members to each own their own home based
profitable business, and I am not talking some chain thing but each unique business
based off of that members skills and wants. After all the entire goal for a
home based business is to do something you enjoy and make money at it.
If you’re interested in helping change the way we look at
farming and becoming free of all monthly bills.
There are many ways to get started. Feel free to message me
or even call Manabu farms our number is listed on our Facebook page and I will
be happy to talk with you about how you can get started on your own. Or read
below the Manabu By laws and if you think it is something you are interested in
joining let me know!
Manabu Farms by laws
Manabu Farms F.C. is a farm club and a community based
organization.
Disclaimer
In many states and towns it is illegal to raise animals for
food inside city limits, and in some towns it is even illegal to have garden
boxes in your front lawn. Manabu Farms
does not care that it breaks these unjust laws and any statements within this
document that may imply criminal activity such as; “never snitch on the club”
refers to the activity of urban farming in areas that it may be illegal. This is the only crime that members of Manabu
Farms ever commit in the name of the farm or with the farms knowledge.
Goal
1. To grow
as much food as we can.
2. To build
good community relations.
3. To change
the way people see farming.
4. To
provide a supportive systems for its members.
Command Structure Worldwide
Farm Lot One Board of Officers
State Chapter Board of Officers
County Chapter Board of Officers
City Lot Chapters Board of Officers
Command Structure by Farm Lot
Officers Board
President
Vice-President
Treasurer
Secretary
Sergeant At Arms
All Managers
/ \
Court Officers, Patched Member and Resident Patched Member
Patched Farmer
Patched Member
/ \
Patched Supporter and Seed
Hang-Around
Officers Board
The officer’s board consists of those members who were
elected as officers of the club. The
Officers are; President, Vice President, Secretary, Sergeant at Arms, Garden
Manager, Animal Manager, Building Manager, Construction Manager and Treasurer
along with 2-12 additional elected members called Court Officers.
The Board holds scheduled meetings every other week. Emergency meetings can be called if a
situation demands immediate attention.
The Officer’s Board is responsible for:
1. To oversee
the continued growth of the most amount of food as possible and the club
striving to find new ways to grow more and more food.
2. The
monitoring of conflicts within the club.
3. The
application of disciplinary procedures.
4. The
evaluation of seeds and their progress.
President
The executive duties of the president are as follows:
1. To
preside over the farm and insure its continued growth of as much food as
possible and to oversee meetings of both the Officer’s Board and the club as a
whole.
2. Judging
items not covered in the constitution or in the rules and regulations.
3. To act as
the personal representative of the club in the area of public relations, as a
liaison between Manabu Farms and local law enforcement agencies, and as a
connecting link between the Manabu Farm Club and other community members.
4. To
represent the club in any club business contacts and to supervise in major
economic transactions.
5. To assist
Manabu Farms officers in the interpretation of their club responsibilities, and
to promote club life among members in general.
6. To
oversee the productivity and insure contained improvement of the Manabu Farms
lot in which they are president of.
7. In the
event of a tie in any vote the president shall be able to cast an additional
vote or change their vote to bring the issue to a close.
8. To hold
all club cash and pay all farm bills. This is due to the fact that 90% of the
time the farm lot president is the owner of the lot, in the event that the
president does not own the lot the treasurer upon a vote of the board of
directors can hold club cash.
Vice-President
The executive duties of the Vice-President are to assume the
responsibilities of the presidency when the President is unable to do so. In
addition, the Vice-President must be able to do the following:
1. To assist
the farm in growing as much food as possible.
2. To aid
the President in their responsibilities.
3. To check
weekly to make sure all bills and orders are being made and filled on time.
4. To look
for and bring to the clubs knowledge any potential business opportunities.
5. To look
for and bring to the clubs attention any potential problems.
Treasurer
The executive duties of the treasurer are as follows:
1. To assist
the farm in growing as much food as possible.
2. To
monitor and record the club’s income and expenditures.
3. To
collect the dues and fines owed by members from the Sargent at Arms.
4. To do
weekly checks on the President’s bills and income books and report to the
board.
5. To look
for and bring to the clubs knowledge any potential business opportunities.
6. To find
new ways to lower farm spending and more efficient ways of spending.
Secretary
The executive duties of the secretary are as follows:
1. Will make
records of all produce that the farm grows, gives away and sells.
2. Recording
and safeguarding the minutes of the club meetings.
3. To
maintain the Club Constitution, recording any additions, deletions, or
modifications.
4. To handle
any club correspondence.
5. To keep
any club confidential correspondence or paperwork.
Sergeant at Arms
The executive duties of the Sergeant at Arms are as follows:
1. To work
daily on killing aphids and other bugs that harm the gardens without using
chemicals.
2. To do
everything in their power to maintain a peaceful, nonviolent atmosphere at the
clubs properties or events.
3. To
maintain order at club meetings in particular, and club activities in general.
4. To ensure
that members adhere to club rulings, policies, and expected to be models of
conduct when dealing with other members or outsiders.
5. To
collect dues and loans owed to the club and deliver them in a timely manner to
the clubs treasurer.
6. To defend
club members, property, or territory from outside threats.
Garden Manager
The executive duties of the Garden Manager are as follows:
1. To help
the President in his or her responsibility of growing as much food on the farm
lot as possible.
2. To
oversee the cleanliness of the farm grounds.
3. To
oversee the wishes of the officers board when dealing with issues of farming.
4. To insure
that all growing plants are fed and watered daily or as needed and that proper
weeding and garden practices are being done.
Animal Manager
The executive duties of the Animal Manager are as follows:
1. To
oversee the daily well being of all farm livestock.
2. To
maintain an animal feeding budget.
3. To
oversee proper breeding schedules for all livestock.
4. To daily
improve the general well being of the livestock on the farm lot.
Building Manager
The executive duties of the Building Manager are as follows:
1. To water
and maintain all indoor food gardens.
This does not include greenhouses, those fall under Garden Manager’s
duties.
2. To
prepare and oversee a chore list for all resident patched members.
3. To
arrange the repairs as needed in the common living areas.
4. To report
to the Sergeant at Arms if a member did not complete a chore and a fine is
needed to be collected.
Harvest Manager
The executive duties of the Harvest Manager are as follows:
1. To keep
track of all planting dates and harvest dates.
2. To ensure
that the farm lot endeavors to be able to harvest on a daily basis by:
a. Planting
new seeds or cloning from existing plants in a timely manner.
b. Working
daily with the Garden Manager on the overall growth of the farm.
c. Working
with the cooks of the farm to help them use more of what we grow daily in their
meals.
3. To work
with those in charge of distributing Manabu Farms products and insure that
orders are capable of being fulfilled.
Court Officers
The executive duties of Court Officers are as follows:
1. To help
the farm grow as much food as possible.
2. To help
insure the moral goodness of the farm.
3. To
participate and inspire newer members to do good works for the community.
4. To
oversee the whole courts understanding of club rules and activities.
5. To assist
the Executive Board in their responsibilities.
6. To bring
an impeachment vote when necessary before the Officer’s Board.
Seeds
1. Seeds
must be at least 18 years old.
2. Seeds
must have a garden no matter how small.
3. Seeds
will be responsible for making bagged meals so club members can then hand them
out; the club is responsible for having the materials for the bag lunches ready
for seeds to work with.
4. Seeds
must show a sincere interest in growing food and feeding the people in their
community.
5. A Seed
must be sponsored by one member who has known him or her at least one year (may
be waived by vote).
6. Seeds
must buy their own cut or be given one by their sponsor.
7. A sponsor
is responsible for the actions of his or her Seed. If a sponsor has more than one “Seed go bad”
then his or her rights to be a sponsor may come under question by the court.
8. A sponsor
can pull a Seed’s rockers at his or her discretion.
9. Seeds
must attend all meetings and club functions that they are allowed to.
10. A seed
must do anything a member asks him or her to do that is in the best interest of
the club, but the member asking the Seed must have done the same action in the
past or willing to do that action with them.
11. Every
patch holder on the farm lot must vote for a Seed to make center patch and
become a member. At least 51% of the
votes are needed.
12.
Prospective member’s Seed period or “planting session” is at the discretion of
the sponsor and the club but should be no less than 6 months.
13. Only the
sponsor or an officer may hand out a patch to a seed. This will be done at a meeting with only
patch holders present.
Hang Around
There are three types of hang around. A come around, a supporter, and an official
hang around.
1. A come
around is anyone that is not a patched in member that hangs out at the
clubhouse or volunteers at a farm lot. A
come around does not get to wear colors.
2. A
supporter gets the right to put on a cut and colors but can never wear a center
patch with the clubs logo on it, unless they take the route of becoming a Seed.
3. An
official hang around is someone that one day wants to become a full member and
states so to a member of the court. That
member, if they believe the come around is worthy of becoming a hang around
then they will escort that come around to the president of the lot and let the
come around state their intent to the president. At that time the president will announce to
all present that the come around is now a hang around and is looking for a
sponsor to become a seed.
Patched in Member
The steps to becoming a Patched in Member are as follows:
1. Become a
hang around. This means that you will
hang around the farms and volunteer where you can.
2. Become a
Seed. To understand more about Seeds see
the section on Seeds in this document.
3. The final
step in becoming a Patched in Member is having all patched members on the farm
lot you’re applying at, vote you in.
The duties of any member are as follows:
1. To help
feed the people of their local community.
2. To help
work on the farm lot every week for standard members and daily for resident
patched members.
3. To follow
all the rules and regulations set forth in this document or by the officers
board of your farm lot.
4. To pay
your dues to the farm club on time.
5. To follow
the rules of respect and code of conduct.
Farmer Patched Member
A Farmer patch is earned by being a member with a resident
patch for over five years.
The Court
The Court will be made up of every patched member connected
with the farm lot.
Elections of Officers Board Members
Officers of the club serve a twelve month term of
office. Annual elections are held at the
last regular meeting of the year, in December.
1. In order
to be eligible for office, a patch holder has to have been an active member in
good standing for a minimum of one year.
2. Patch
holders who aspire towards a particular position will campaign informally for
one month prior to the elections.
3. Electioneering
is conducted on an interpersonal face to face basis.
4. Hopeful
candidates will approach a member, inform them what he or she is willing to
stand for in office if nominated, ask for member’s opinion of his or her
qualifications, and solicit the members support.
5. It is
normal for officers to serve many consecutive terms in a row. There is no limit to the number of terms an
officer can serve.
Meetings
1. One
organized meeting per week.
2. Majority
rules.
3. If a vote
is taken at a meeting and a member is not there, his or her vote is voided,
unless the absent member has picked a member in good standing to proxy his or
her vote.
4. Meetings
will be closed except for prospective members and anyone there on business.
5. All
meetings will be run on a parliamentary basis.
Members will be evicted for unruly conduct.
6. The
secretary must be informed in writing of any proxy hood at least one hour
before the meeting.
7. Members
must have colors with him or her when attending meetings.
8. If a
member attends a meeting and is drunk, he or she will be removed from the board
and cannot reapply for a board membership for at least one year.
9. What is
said in the meeting stays with those who are in the meeting.
10. During a
meeting there will be no talking among members until they get the floor
through the President. A Sergeant at Arms, if not President, will be appointed
and anyone not abiding by the above will be evicted from that meeting.
11. Miss
three meeting in a row without following the proxy rule set forth here in this
document and you will be expelled from the club.
12. Members
must attend meetings to leave the club and turn in his or her colors and
everything that has the name “Manabu Farms” on it. (I.E. t-shirts, wristbands,
mugs, etc.)
13. If a
member is thrown out of the club or quits without attending a meeting he or she
loses his or her colors, any farm equipment or materials supplied by the club,
and anything else that says “Manabu Farms” on it.
Rules and Regulations
The rules of the club will be strictly enforced. If anyone breaks them, the officer’s board
will deal with them. If these rules and
regulations are broken, it could mean either immediate dismissal or suspension,
whatever the board sees fit.
1. If
someone asks a patched member for food it is that member’s responsibility to
try and find a way to feed them something.
2. Every
farm lot will always strive to give away more food then it sells.
3. No hard
drugs! (If you have to question whether the drug you’re about to do would be
considered a hard drug then it most likely is.)
If you are found to be using hard drugs you will be banned from the farm
and stripped of your colors.
4. No
burning rule. When making deals, a
person gets what they are promised or the deal is called off.
5. Never get
“Dirt” on your cut.
6. There
will be no stealing. Anyone caught will
be kicked out of the club. If it’s not
yours don’t touch it!
7. Members
cannot belong to any other competing farm clubs.
8. If a
group or individual attacks any member, the whole club shall stand behind him
or her and fight if necessary. If,
however, the member is the aggressor and purposely starts an argument, the rest
of the members will escort the member away, or step in between before trouble
starts.
9. No Member
will disgrace the club.
10. No member
will destroy club property purposely.
11. No member
will take the attitude that he or she doesn’t have to help other members and
other members don’t have to help them.
12. No member
will go against anything the club has voted or passed
13. Every
member should strive to become self-sufficient within the community, including
income, such as start their own business.
With a vote the club will provide full support, with financial backing
and volunteer Seed work.
14. The club
will always stay together on trips, parties, meetings etc. and will not
fraternize with known club rivals. The
only way a member will be permitted to leave the main group will be to notify
the president or whoever is in charge.
When the time comes that the majority feels it is time to leave, we will
all leave together.
15. Members
will have good attendance. Members must
have a good reason for not attending meetings, such as working, sickness, no transportation.
16. Members
shall not fight each other. If needed
because all other options have been exhausted, two members may duke it out in a
ring with a referee and trained medical personnel on hand.
17. If you
don’t help out the club in its activities and you use the club solely for your
benefit, you will be warned the first time.
If you are found guilty a second time you will be asked to pay a fine of
$25 or leave the club. If you are found
guilty a third time you will be asked to turn in your cut and any other
property with Manabu Farms name or logo on it.
18. Do as you
say you’re going to do.
19. The
treasurer shall keep clear record of all money paid in and out during the week
and will balance it before every board meeting.
The books will be gone over every week by the Officer’s Board.
20. Members
with extra farm tools or supplies will loan them to members. They must be replaced or paid for should
something happen to said tool.
21. Unless
you have a resident patch on your cut leave your personal drama off the farm,
unless you are asking for help.
22. No
talking about club business to persons outside the club. Be smart when talking about club business
over the telephone.
23. There will
be no alcohol served on club grounds, unless it is alcohol made by the club.
24. Failure
to pay his or her dues according to the section dealing with the paying of
dues.
25. You must
be a member for at least one year before you can sponsor a seed.
Dues and Loans
1. Club dues
will be paid each month, due by the first.
Unless arranged beforehand with the board.
2. Two
months overdue is the limit.
3. Dues are
$5 per month for every Lot One patched member or $300 for a resident Lot One
patch a month. For other patched in
members for other lot numbers $10 are due with $5 goes to Lot One for the
betterment of the whole club and $5 to the lot the member belongs to so that
said lot can better itself.
4. Upon
failure of paying dues, within two weeks, member shall be suspended and turn in
his or her colors.
5. If within
two months dues still aren’t paid, the colors will be forfeited to pay for them
and the member will no longer be considered a member. The only exception to this shall be if a
member is in jail or he or she is out of town for a period of time. If he or she is in jail, dues won’t be
expected. If he or she is out of town
dues will be paid when he or she returns.
6. All loans
or debts will be secured by the Sergeant at Arms. Members will agree upon payment. Two patch holders must be present in any personal
loan transaction.
Respect
1. When it
comes to eating or protection, kids come first, women next and then men.
2. Respect
the farm.
3. Respect
your colors.
4. Respect
the earth.
5. Respect
your club elders and they will respect you.
6. Respect
is to be shown to all club members, Officers, farmers, Seeds, houses, lots,
job, etc. In other words, if it’s not
yours…DON’T TOUCH IT!!!
7. Fighting
among each other is not allowed. Any
punches to be thrown will be done in the ring or by the Sergeant at Arms.
Colors and Cut
1. President
gets colors from Lot One club when a new member is voted in.
2. When a
member leaves the club, said member turns over their colors to the president of
the farm lot in which they were a member of.
3. Respect your
colors. Don’t let anyone take them from
you except the president of the chapter.
4. Nothing
will be worn on the back of your jacket except club colors. The front of your jacket, or cut, is yours
but the back is the clubs.
5. Many
patches must be earned and cannot just be added to your jacket. See your Sergeant at Arms for more details.
6. Colors
are not required to be worn to from and during employment if not allowed by
employer. If a patch is lost or stolen,
patch holder will be judged by a court of officers.
7. The day
you get your colors will be known as your second birthday and will be
celebrated as such.
8. Colors
must be worn at all times when in public.
Only one of your brothers or sisters can babysit your colors.
9. The only
way a member of Manabu Farms can retire and keep his or her patch is if local
officers authorize him or her to do so.
Definitions
Cut: A cut is a vest
that your colors are worn on.
Colors: Are what the
club calls patches on the back of your vest or jacket. There are six patches that make up the Manabu
Farms colors. Four are called rockers,
one is the rocker that says “Manabu Farms”. The second rocker from the top down
is the patch that reads “We Feed the People”.
The third patch is a square patch with the letters “FC” standing for
Farm Club. The fourth patch is called
the center patch and is the hardest to earn, it’s the Manabu Farms logo and it
means you’re a member in the club. Seeds
do not get the right to wear the center patch until they become full
members. The fifth patch, the last
rocker, states your position in the club like Member, Seed, Farmer, or
Supporter. The last rocker states the
county that you live in.
Dirt: Dirt can mean
physical earth such as dust or soil, but in most cases refers to doing a dishonorable
act.
F.F.: A patch that
stands for “Farm First”. Not just the
words but the attitude of. If you farm
with me you are my family and we take care of each other.
Lot Number: The
number that Manabu Farms Club gives a new chapter or farm. They are in chronological order from the
first club, Lot One.
Manabu: Means “The
art of learning”.
Rockers: The like
patches with writing on them that go on the back of the club member’s cut. There are two top rockers and two bottom
rockers. In addition on the front of the
cut there is one mandatory side rocker that reads “Ask Me for Food”.
Seed: A prospect; a
member in training.
A Seed going bad: A
member in training quits the club or is asked to leave the club for one reason
or another.
Sponsor: A center
patched member that stands up for a hang around and says “I would like them to
become a Seed and I will teach them the ways of the club”.
